2 February 2014: Hello Nancy & Jim, I just wanted to drop by and let you know how Dax is doing!!! He is THE BEST!! He loves the girls soooo much and cant wait for them to get home from school. He truly thinks he is one of the kids!! If they are playing a game, he's right in there too. I don't think he minds one bit that they wrap him in blankets and pretend he is their baby!! He has got in the bathtub EVERY SINGLE TIME I'm in there and loves to watch showers!! He likes to sleep with me and Blake with his head on the pillows and his body under the blankets! COOLEST CAT EVER!! He is even a Facebook sensation haha (he has quite the following). He loves fetching a ball and bringing it back to us and he loves to play pool! He will put all the balls in the holes and then wait for us to take them out again:) He's made us extremely happy and we always say how this was one of our best decisions yet! Here are some pics of him! I hope all is going well with you two and that someone has bought your beautiful home!!!

Hi, I'm Dax High Five, or How About Ten

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30 December 2014: Hi Jim and Nancy, I hope you had a great holiday! I wanted to let you know that Ollie did such a great job adjusting to my parent's house in Massachusetts! Although he didn't like the ride to the airport very much, once we arrived, he made two toddler friends who pointed at the cat carrier and said, "Kitty!" and came waddling over to look at Ollie while we were waiting in the terminal. Like you had predicted, Ollie fell asleep as soon as the jet noise came on.

It didn't take Ollie long to feel comfortable in a new house with six new people. Everybody who met Ollie loved him! He loved being in the same room as the whole family. If we were all watching a movie together at night, he would take turns crawling up into everyone's arms and dozing with that person for 10 minutes or so and moved onto the next person. When he wasn't sleepy/cuddly, he was playing with all of his toys in the living room and exploring the nooks and crannies. My dad liked Ollie so much that while my mom drove us back to the airport he sat in the backseat next to Ollie so that he could pet him a little bit longer. I attached a few photos of Ollie. In one he is sitting on my mom's iPad stand. I think he thought it was the perfect size bed. Sincerely, Emily

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27 December 2014: Jim and Nancy, Thank you for the call earlier this week. I hope both of you had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed time with family. Pepper is doing great. She saw our vet the Monday after we picked her up and obviously got a clean bill of health (and a shot, which she didn't even flinch at). She'll be spayed between 4 and 6 months. She and Levi (our Rottweiler) are completely comfortable with each other, which can be pretty amusing to watch. Pepper is very playful which has been good for him since he's 9 years old. I hope you have a Happy New Year! Rania

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11 November 2014: Nancy! We were so excited to get Roscoe and Bruno's birthday card in the mail! We've had that special day circled on the calendar for weeks and we were happy to show the kitties their card as an additional celebration. We can't believe they are a year old - what a complete joy they've been. They each have their own particular purr and chirps. In the dark I can tell which cat it is just by their sounds. How blessed we are to have found you and Jim and your special cattery. I have to add, we recently flew home from AZ and sat next to the most wonderful young man (just turned 19) that had graduated in San Diego from basic training in the Marine Corps. He was polite, respectful, interesting to talk to, and a real credit to his parents and to the Marines. I couldn't help but think of your Jim - he would have been proud. Thanks again for the card, and for our precious kitties. Amy and John

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3 September 2014: Hi Nancy, Was looking at your blog and saw all the cute new kittens. I assume they are reserved, but I'm wondering about Zhaklin's upcoming litter? All spoken for yet? My boisterous boy, Sasha, is crying out for a playmate. Thought it would be cute to have a full brother or sister for him, but of course any half sibling would do as well! The only stipulation is that the baby fits the description given in the lyrics of the Tigger Song:

A wonderful thing is a Tigger;
A Tigger's a wonderful thing.
Their tops are made out of rubber,
their bottoms are made out of springs
They're bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, bouncy,
fun, fun, fun, fun, fun,
The most wonderful thing
about Tiggers is:
I'm the only one!

That is Sasha's theme song. He just bounces all over the place, all the time. He's incredibly athletic, graceful, cute, babyish, stubborn, and sassy. Very intelligent, too, and somewhat obedient when he doesn't have his mind set on something. He's also extremely vocal. I'm only just beginning to learn what each meow means. He tells me off every day when I come home from work, and I do know what that means!

I'm going to take him to the vet soon for his annual physical and also to find out his weight. He went "off his feed" for a bit this summer (he was eating, but was very finicky and never finished anything), but as of right now is sitting down and eating an entire 3 ounces of cat food at a single sitting. He does have a slight pouch on his belly but I think he's too active to become fat. He's rarely still. I'm guessing his weight right now at about 14 lbs. He's big! Not rangy like a Maine Coon, but round and solid and big boned.

For the future I'd like to have Sasha, another Semper Fi Siberian, and when we get to the permanent home we'll round out our family with a Maine Coon. I've never quite forgotten dear Gideon (my MC who lived from 1982-2001), and would like to have just one more MC in my life. However, I don't think a MC could keep up with a Siberian, so I'm figuring on having two bouncy Siberians and eventually one laid-back Maine Coon. That's the plan, anyway.
Hope everyone is well! Sandy

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6 August 2014: Mitzi thanks you for the birthday card. It is hard to believe that she is already one year old! She is still our baby and rules the roost! We love her so much. Thank you for sharing the gift of Siberians with families who have allergies. They are so special; it is truly a blessing to have one. Mitzi is such a joy; she is so sweet - a ball of fluffy love. Everyone who visits wants to take her home! We hope you are doing well. Take care, Gina, Dane and Dane

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17 July 2014: Hi Nancy & Jim. Hope all is well with you guys! The people at the vet said he recovered wonderfully and when the nurse on 2nd shift came in she thought he still needed to be neutered (I guess because he was acting so normal). And EVERYONE over there just loves him! The nurses keep trying to bribe me to let them take him home… One was like “OH but I love him soooo much!” and I said… “NOT more than me!” lol Sorry Charlie get your own little bundle of love! Lol He’s just such a blast and we’re blessed to have him added to our little family!!! Thanks you guys so much, Laura

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15 July 2014: Hi Nancy and Jim, We can’t believe it’s already been over 6 months since we adopted Ellie from you guys and she joined our family. We constantly talk about how adopting her was one of the best decisions we have ever made, we can’t imagine our lives without her. She has adjusted so well to her new home, running around like she owns the place. You were not kidding when you said she was vocal, she greets us every day at the door when we get home from work to yell at us for being gone for so long haha. We think the most surprising things have been that her favorite game is fetch (which she taught herself), and her obsession with the shower, even though she hates getting wet. When we show people a video of her playing fetch with a mylar ball, they are shocked! We still cannot believe how sociable she has been with all our friends and family, she rarely ever hides and wants to crawl right into their laps. Everyone who meets her can’t help but love her, whether or not they are “cat people.” It is clear that she was given lots of love and attention before joining our family and we wanted to thank you again for the wonderful job you guys do with all the kittens! Here are some photos taken within days of picking her up. Thanks!! Megan, Mike, and Ellie

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​​8 July 2014:From John and Gracie,

I bought a leash and harness and it seems she intends to walk herself! When I turn on the shredder – she runs TO it – not away – then dumpster-dives for a paper scrap to play with! This morning I heard some soft meows – I assumed she was trapped somewhere – not so much; she found a new home in the wastebasket. Laundry folding – her assistance is invaluable to me. Feel free to appropriately advise potential new pet parents how much fun they are headed for with a SIBERIAN!

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2 July 2014: More good news to report. Vladimir did very well with the introduction to the living room. He's using the litter box wonderfully, continuing to use the scratch posts and eating about a can a day including some dry food here. He absolutely loves Rich and although he'll never admit it, I think Rich is officially a cat guy now! Lol Rich loves playing fetch with Vladimir!!! It's so cool. He throws one of his little fuzzy balls. Vladimir will grab it, play, then hop up onto the couch and drop it right by Rich's hand! So cute! He likes to lay on our shoulders/chest area and fall asleep. He also likes to sit and wait at the door for us to get home when he knows we should be arriving. We just love him so much!

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1July 2014:Hi Nancy & Jim; I have to tell you how incredibly HAPPY we are with Stanley. He is absolutely the sweetest little angel :o) I spent the day at home yesterday getting to know him and fell more and more in love with him by the minute. He is eating and playing beautifully and he seems really comfortable in his new surroundings. Lots of sniffing around the doors and he is so attentive to every sound.I am at the office today, barely able to concentrate because I miss him. Thank you so much for choosing us to be his forever family, we truly adore him. We will stay in touch and send you pictures :o) Have a great day!

Tina

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22 June 2014: Hi Nancy and Jim;I hope you are doing well! Izzy is doing really good, we are all enjoying her very much. She's slated to get spayed and micro-chipped on June 24th. She's doing really well, everyone here really enjoys her and loves her so much. She gets tons and tons of love and attention, that's for sure! Since we've had so much success with her and love her so much, we've been thinking about adding another little one to our family as a playmate for her and another one for us to love and enjoy! Do you have any kittens available, and if not can we get on the list? Kiki already has the name, ha-ha. Please just let me know!

Thanks, Sara

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22 June 2014: Keisel "The Weasal" Turns One.

Hi Nancy andJim, Well our little Keisel turned 1 today! I know you often get to see pictures of him on Facebook, but I wanted to pass some of our favorites along for the blog! Keisel is such a great cat. We love him so so much, he's like our child and often acts like one. He's grown to be a big boy so far, 13 pounds! He's our cuddle buddy and wildly spirited cat! He is quite a talker, we often have conversations with him through chortling and squeaking. I can't say it's quite meowing, it's his own sort of language. We call him Keisel "The Weasel" sometimes because while he can be the sweetest cat in the world he can also be a stinker sometimes too.

He loves to eat anything and everything so we have to be very careful what is out around the house. His favorite thing to play with, when he can find them, are Q-Tips. We have to take it away from him because he tries to eat the ends. He loves cotton for some reason. We have to lock them up, along with the cotton balls, in another room in a cabinet, because he has managed to open the cabinets and open the bag to get to them. We also got a foot-press garbage can to throw them away, but being as smart as he is, he has managed to figure out how to press on the foot-press and open the garbage lid just enough to weasel a Q-Tip out. You know when he has one, because he runs as fast as he can and tries to hide it under the rug. He loves to grab raw chicken out of my hands when I'm washing it and has even dipped his paw into guacamole!

But beside his weaselly moments, we can't get enough of our cuddle bug. We have been letting him sleep with us lately and he loves to climb on to my chest and plop his entire body on my face. We have slept cheek to cheek on many occasions. If he is not on my chest, he sleeps in between us, feet up in the air on his back. Or he cuddles with one of our legs. He loves to sleep on Brian's lap when Brian is on the computer or will often lay in front of the computer screen. The cheaper the toy the better. He loves paper bags and crumpled up pieces of paper. His new sleeping spot is on top of our entertainment system.

In the morning like a child would, he runs into the room and bounces on the bed to wake us up. He tries to get our attention my chirping and scratching at the edge of our bed, only to run out of the room when we tell him no, just to try and get us out to play with him. He has his many bouts of energy where he spontaneously runs around the room so fast across the hard wood floors that his feet slide from under him. He loves to cross his paws on the window sill and watch out for his doggy friend outside. His favorite laying position lately is laying on his back arms and feet up in the air. He lets us give him baths relatively pleasantly once a month. Brian has had no issues with allergies.

Keisel is such a great addition to our family. Everyone who meets him loves him, as do we.

Thanks, Stephanie and Brian Kuhn

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21 June 2014: Nancy and Jim,
I'd thought I'd share a picture with you....following up on how much my kids adore Izzy. Kiki feeds her and stays to keep her company while she chows down! She'll talk to her in baby talk and if she leaves Izzy looks around like "Hey, where'd she go?!" Sometimes Kiki will just sit there and watch. She's been so therapeutic for all my kids after the loss of pets we've experienced, and we're so thankful for her...and know she was meant to be for us. Just like we know Gizmo will be whenever he/she comes our way. :) Sara

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20 June 2014: Dear Nancy and Jim,
Fifi thanks you for the beautiful birthday card. She really loved it; she kept sniffing and sniffing the card for quite awhile, it was like she could smell you. .I'm sending you some of Fifi's pictures. I hope you like them. I think that bed really suits her. She looks like a 100% queen.

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30 April 2014: Dear Jim & Nancy, Hello friends -how are you both? I am enclosing the proof of neutering for both of our dear kittens. We constantly say how haoppy we are that chose to adopt two kitties at the same time. They are typical brothers - they wrestle and chase each each other, but always look for each other and fall asleep toghether. Uusally Bruno will find Roscoe and put his "arm" around his brother. Bruno is the larger of the two and his protective pose just seems to make sense. Their big sister, Koshka, tolerates their hijinks, and sometimes participates too. They are our joy! Siberians seem to have some very distinctive traits, and we love discovering their uniqueness. Nancy, I really enjoyed our phone conversation - I am so glad you called. We think so highly of you both. We are glad you enjoyed Florida, and everything worked out well transporting the cats and kitties back home. Take care. John & Amy

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24 April 2014: Dear Nancy & Jim; I thought I would share my morning habits and tasks with you and include Gracie's participation. It is hysterical.1st Thing - Put the coffee on. Gracie instantly jumps up on the counter to carefully monitor the amount of water and coffee I put in the coffeemaker.NEXT - My administration to her needs.The instant that I press "brew", my next step is the morning litter-scoop, food, and water replenishment. She is way ahead of me, racing down the hall and in place to carefully supervise these tasks.
PC Mail Check. As soon as I finish the former, I head down to get the morning mail and news - Gracie is already on the PC desk waiting, and typically now wants to be held for a morning "power-cuddle.” I am becoming adept at one-hand typing!Coffee and final get -ready stuff. She is now wandering about, but very vocal as usual - watching my every move as I get my shoes on, etc.
Leaving for Work. As soon as I head for the front door, she races ahead of me and plops down in front of the door for a tummy rub and some more socialization, and then it is often an effort for me to get out the door without her accompanying me. I explain that my working is what provides the cat food that she doesn't eat. LOL
Coming home. Whenever I return - all day or sometimes at noon - she is at the door, again plopped down and extended, offering a submissive greeting.
She is quite the affectionate and dedicated little (not so much!) kitten. I mention this to others and they are in disbelief as the typical experience with cats is that they are aloof and indifferent. Not Gracie. Such a little doll.
Here are photos of her: the first one she is helping with laundry and giving me instructions, and the second is her usual location when I need to shave.

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24 February 2014: Hi Jim and Nancy, Today is Hannibal's birthday. As far as I know, he's still about 18 lbs, but I'll be calling the vet soon to get him in for a check-up and we'll see what their scale says. Hannibal had a busy weekend. I had a lot of friends come down for a belated birthday party, so he got loooads of attention. I jokingly told people they were really coming for HANNIBAL'S birthday, since everyone was so preoccupied with him. We got him a new cat toy and catnip bubbles. He played with both until he couldn't move anymore. Anyway, hope you like the pictures! He's way too handsome for his own good. Thank you so much for doing what you do. I can't imagine my life without him now!

Best Wishes, Shea & Hannibal

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14 Februay 2014: Hi Nancy & Jim,

We hope you're doing well and enjoying a lovely Valentine's Day. I'm writing to tell you about an uncanny, wonderful thing Wampus did. I told him I'd tell you about it, and given his level of communication, I know he's expecting it! By way of background, Mandu (who is darling, affectionate, and so sweet), loves to play with the "Fling-A-String" toy by pulling out the little plastic dowl on which the whole apparatus moves. Without that one-inch piece of orange plastic, the toy doesn't work, and Mandu meows at it sadly and looks to me to fix it. We typically save the piece when he pulls it out. One day, that piece went missing, and we couldn't find it ANYWHERE. We asked Wampus to help us find it (once before he'd placed it on the bed for us), but he didn't lead us to it as hoped. So, Mandu went a few days without his favorite toy. (Wampus outgrew it a while ago.) Then yesterday, IN MY JEWELRY DISH ON OUR TALL DRESSER, nestled among my earrings, was that little orange piece! Wampus must have found it and put it there. He used to place his favorite toys up there, so we're sure it was him! We are stunned by the level of awareness and communication this demonstrates. Wampus knew we'd see it there and that special things went there. And he knew the piece was important to his brother's happiness. We praised him up and down, and he just smiled and swished the white tip of his tail. I think he smiled bigger when I told him I'd tell Jim and Nancy, his first people. Thanks again for providing such wonderful companions!

Cheers, Carmen & Maurice

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9 February 2014: Dear Jim and Nancy,
I hope that you are both well and enjoying the Florida sun! Smokey has made herself right at home! She has brought such joy to our lives since we brought her home last month. She is into everything, but listens when we say "no." Tom and I brought her to the vet yesterday and she has gained a pound. She is growing like crazy! Everyone at the vet's office commented on how beautiful she is, which we did not disagree with! She still likes to talk and has quite a bit to say! She is especially talkative in the mornings. Smokey is fascinated by the bath tub and is not afraid of water. We might try to give her a bath, as she likes to spend time hanging out in her litter box! Enclosed are several picture of Smokey. I will be sure to keep you posted on her progress. Thank you again for providing us with this wonderful gift! We can not think of a time without her in our lives.
All the best, Kate

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9 February 2014: Hello Nancy and Jim, I thought you would enjoy seeing an up-to-date picture of Tasha and Ivan. They are such a a joy, and give us so much delight! They got their 2nd series of shots the other day, and the vet says they are in perfect health and growing well. Ivan is about 3 1/2 pounds, and Tasha is about 2 1/2 pounds. Hope you are enjoying a break from all the busyness of January. :-)
Jennifer

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6 January 2014: Hi Jim and Nancy, It's hard to believe Hannibal is 10 months old! He's basically oozing off the top of his cat tree now, since he's so big. But he's doing really well! He's definitely smart (diabolically so), and a huge troublemaker. People love to ask about what he's up to, because he's ALWAYS up to something! It's been funny to see how people react to him, especially those that aren't "cat people." Thank you again for producing such amazing kittens! People are always commenting on how beautiful and sociable he is. Hannibal has also given my super allergic friend and her cat-loving husband a bit of hope. Sarah is basically allergic to anything with fur. I mean, tears streaming down her face and a waterfall of snot allergic. When she got married, her husband had to leave his cat with his parents, which was sad. So, he likes to come over and spend time with Hannibal to get his cat fix. Sarah hesitatingly came with him to see if maybe a Siberian could be an option for them in the future, and they were both very surprised at her response to him. While she still got congested, she said her allergies were ten times better than how she'd NORMALLY react to a cat. She can stay at my apartment for hours with minimal discomfort. Usually, she'd have to leave much sooner. My mom also continues to have zero reaction to him. She's started to ask if she can pick him up to pet him whenever she comes over, which she doesn't dare to do with other cats since their dander would be all over her clothes.

Anyway, I thought maybe you'd like a little update and some recent pictures. I took the first photo today while Hannibal was watching the snow. I opened the window for him a bit, so he could stick his paw out and investigate the snow on the windowsill. He didn't really know what to make of it, but he had a good time smashing it down! Hope you had a great start to the year! Thanks again! Sincerely, Shea and Hannibal

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5 January 2014: Hi Nancy & Jim. Chloe is turning into such a great family member. I just can’t get over how social and playful she is. She is so careful with her teeth and claws when playing. She loves to watch the birds on the bird feeder outside. In fact it is the only time she has indicated that she would like to be outside. Six degrees is a pretty good deterrent for now but we are going to have to keep an eye on her when the door is opened. She is fast! Also a bit of a thief when it comes to food we leave on the counter…as I type this she just stole a piece of bacon. :-) Mike